Dubbed Concept EQV, the production version will be the fifth battery-electric Mercedes model from its EQ electric sub-brand and will aim for a slice of the electric MPV pie that Volkswagen's ID Buzz will also target. The other four electric models, of course, will include the EQC sport utility, an EQS electric sedan, an EQB small SUV and a small hatch dubbed EQA.

The EQV is expected to be based on the electric version of the commercial Mercedes-Benz Vito van, which is the panel variant of the V-Class, rather than using a specially created platform. The size of the vehicle means a battery pack as large as 100 kWh could fit into the floor of the EQV.

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Auto Express reports that Mercedes looked at the possibility of launching a plug-in hybrid version of the V-Class, but the range requirements in China have created an incentive to go the EV route from the start.

"It is theoretically and technically possible to do the same electrification (as the C-Class PHEV model)," Andreas Hasselwander, chief engineer for Mercedes-Benz midsize vans told Auto Express. "However, we have to cope with customer demands, and this is a global product, so we also need to factor in legislation, especially in China. The rules there on minimum pure-electric mileage are the big problem, because 100 km is a major challenge."

"With just one battery, I would say it is feasible to have up to 50 km of pure electric running in the V-Class," Hasselwander added. "But with China increasing the range required for incentives, we’d need to look at a second battery. That would increase complexity and cost, so we have decided to go another way."

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An electric eVito has been on sale in Europe since 2018 with a range of 93 miles, Auto Express notes, aimed at urban delivery businesses, while a larger eSprinter is expected to follow in the second half of 2019. A production version of the EQV could offer a much greater range.

We'll see the EQC on sale long before we see the EQV; the passenger van is due in 2021, while the luxury SUV will enter production in the last quarter of 2019 and will go on sale stateside early next year.